page_title: A Written Testimony
section_title: Release and promotion
hierarchical_section_title: A Written Testimony / Release and promotion
caption_attribution_description: English: Poster for March 12, 2020 listening parties hosted by Tidal to promote Jay Electronica's debut album A Written Testimony (2020).
context_page_description: A Written Testimony is the debut studio album by American rapper Jay Electronica. It was released on March 13, 2020 through Roc Nation. The album follows the release of Jay Electronica's debut mixtape, Act I: Eternal Sunshine, almost 13 years earlier. The former was primarily recorded in 40 days, from December 2019 to February 2020. It was supported by "Shiny Suit Theory", featuring vocals from Jay-Z and The-Dream, released in November 2010 and later rereleased as a single on Tidal in September 2018.
  Most of the tracks on A Written Testimony feature uncredited vocals by Jay-Z, while Travis Scott and The-Dream make guest appearances. Louis Farrakhan, James Blake, James Fauntleroy, and other artists provide additional vocals. Production was primarily handled by Jay Electronica, who is credited on six out of ten tracks, along with Swizz Beatz, Hit-Boy, The Alchemist, No I.D., and Khruangbin, among others. Lyrically, it is influenced by the doctrine of the Nation of Islam. The album received widespread acclaim from music critics, praising Jay Electronica's rapping and production, though certain controversial lyrics have been characterized as anti-Semitic.
context_section_description: On February 6, 2020, Jay Electronica announced A Written Testimony with a release date of that year's March 18. In anticipation of the album's release, record producer Young Guru posted a picture of himself in the studio with the aforementioned, Jay-Z, and Lawrence "Law" Parker on March 10, 2020. That same day, streaming service Tidal announced three listening parties for it. Tidal planned to host the listening parties on March 12 of that year in Los Angeles, New York City, and Jay Electronica's hometown of New Orleans. On March 11, 2020, Angela Yee confirmed on The Breakfast Club that A Written Testimony would be released the day after the listening parties.
  On March 12, 2020, Apple Music revealed the track listing for A Written Testimony through Twitter. The track listing, written in the Arabic language, includes 10 tracks with guest appearances from Travis Scott on "The Blinding" and The-Dream on "Ezekiel's Wheel", as well as "Shiny Suit Theory". After the track list was revealed, the listening parties were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Tidal simultaneously revealed the album's cover art. The artwork was photographed by Beyoncé and is a picture of her swimming pool. Jay Electronica previewed A Written Testimony prior to its release, via an Instagram and YouTube livestream. Streetwear designer Jimmy Gorecki teased merchandise related to the album.
  On November 15, 2010, Jay Electronica released his first collaborative song with Jay-Z and The-Dream entitled "Shiny Suit Theory" after signing to Roc Nation. In July 2012, a track list for Act II: Patents of Nobility (The Turn) was revealed that included a song titled "Dinner at Tiffanys (The Shiny Suit Theory)", featuring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jay-Z, and The-Dream. "Shiny Suit Theory" was the second movement of a planned two-part song, with the unreleased first movement, "Dinner at Tiffanys", featuring a string arrangement by Gainsbourg with production from British singer-songwriter The Bullitts. In August 2017, Jay Electronica uploaded his remastered discography to YouTube, including "Shiny Suit Theory". On September 17, 2018, the song was rereleased as a single exclusively to Tidal. The song was included on the track list for A Written Testimony revealed in March 2020, with only The-Dream listed as a featured artist.
caption: Listening parties A Written Testimony were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic (poster pictured). Jay Electronica used Islamic symbolism to promote the album.[19]
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